Vol. 517 No. 6
51 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the plans, if any, he has for the spatial targeting of poverty; and the input his Department and the Combat Poverty Agency will have into this. [10535/00]
The national anti-poverty strategy published in 1997 recognised that disadvantage and unemployment affect virtually every area in Ireland and that the poor and the unemployed are not singularly clustered in major urban areas. However, particular communities suffer from cumulative disadvantage and, for such people, it is likely that the cumulative effect is to intensify their experience of disadvantage.
The Programme for Prosperity and Fairness provides that, in consultation with the relevant actors, the national anti-poverty strategy will be updated, the underlying methodology reviewed, the existing targets reviewed and revised where appropriate and possible new targets will be considered. Disadvantaged urban areas and rural poverty will be two of the theme areas to be examined as part of this review.
In addition, my Department, the Combat Poverty Agency and the Department of the Environment and Local Government are working with local authorities to raise their awareness of the NAPS and to assist them in advising on the development of anti-poverty strategies in the context of the local government reform process.
The introduction of the NAPS initiative in local authorities is also provided for in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. I see this expansion to the wider public service as one of the key challenges in the next phase of the strategy and one which can play a significant role in addressing the spatial concentration of poverty in disadvantaged areas.
The community development support programmes which operate under my Department focus on investment in capacity building so that socially excluded groups and local communities, working alongside the other social partners, can be active participants in identifying and meeting their own development needs. In assessing priorities for the expansion of these support programmes, we have regard, among other things, to the comparative disadvantage of those areas being assessed. The anti-poverty focus of the project and the involvement of local people drawn from groups which themselves experience poverty and social exclusion are also important considerations. In addition, the establishment of new projects in rural areas has been identified as a priority. Under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness there is a commitment that the number of projects will continue to be expanded in rural areas.
The Programme for Prosperity and Fairness provides for a wide range of research to be carried out in a number of key areas, including poverty, health, education and training. It is expected that this research will help to inform the targeting of funding at areas of high deprivation.
Is it not the case that repeatedly over the past three years the Government has shown it could not be bothered about the plight of the 500,000 people at least who have been left behind by the Celtic tiger? Has the Minister not carried out sufficient research in this area in the past three years? I cite particularly the work of the Dublin Employment Pact and PJ Drudy in the Dublin area which showed conclusively that 11 of the 12 most disadvantaged areas are in Dublin. Is it not essential that the Minister works with the Combat Poverty Agency on a spatial basis to devise a series of indices and responses for areas, districts and parishes? One such area in my constituency has 45% unemployment. The Minister has presided over that. What does he propose to do about it? His track record in the past three years shows little evidence of a serious response.
On the track record, I challenge Deputy Broughan and others to say that people in their constituencies are not better off this year than they were in 1997 when the Government came into office.
That has nothing to do with the Government.
The largest social welfare packages in the history of the State have been delivered in three successive budgets by me as Minister.
The Minister is not targeting the money. He needs to target it.
Unemployment in the Deputy's constituency has been reduced dramatically because of the success of the policies enunciated by us since we came into office in 1997.
The Minister should change the record. It is the same every week.
Regarding areas of deprivation, 90 community development projects have been put in place and these were originally instituted by a Fianna Fáil Government. These are under the aegis of my Department and are already in situ in areas of disadvantage, especially in urban areas. A further 40 are being added, a number of which have been identified in the Dublin area.
Regarding the 25 areas of disadvantage to be identified as a result of the commitment in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, an interdepartmental committee will meet shortly and will take into account the various views and experiences of a long list of groups, including the territorial employment pacts, the Combat Poverty Agency, the community development projects, the national drugs strategy and various initiatives, such as the URBAN initiative, the integrated social services project and the local development framework. The list is endless but all the experiences of the various initiatives which have been put in place by successive Governments in the past number of years, especially to address urban deprivation, will be taken into account. It is hoped recommendations will be made by this interdepartmental committee to the Government by the end of this year, which will enable 25 areas to be designated with a prioritised list of measures that can be implemented within a three year timeframe. Our history will stand up to scrutiny, as opposed to when the Deputy's party was on this side of the House.
The reality is that the Minister has left them behind.
I call Question No. 52.
The Deputy's party does a lot of talking about issues, but we take action.
The Minister is wearing his action tie.
The Minister's party was very good at collecting money. Did he get a cut from Brennan and McGowan?
Deputy O'Keeffe should be careful.
The Minister must be allowed answer the next question.
Who was the genesis of all that and is still supporting the Deputy in this House?
Taca was the genesis.
